Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Council in occupied Jerusalem, has warned that the escalating incursions and violations by Israeli settlers at Al-Aqsa Mosque are part of a gradual effort to impose Israeli control over one of Islam’s holiest sites and undermine its longstanding Islamic status.

In remarks to the press on Sunday, Sheikh Sabri said the repeated incursions into the mosque compound were not isolated incidents but formed part of a broader campaign aimed at altering the historic and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa and eroding its Islamic identity.

He warned that the continued presence and activities of Israeli settlers inside the compound risk normalizing practices that Palestinians and Muslim authorities view as attempts to change the character of the holy site.

“These violations also come within the context of appeasing Israel’s far-right politicians and serving their electoral agenda,” Sheikh Sabri said.

He cautioned that the threats could intensify with the approach of upcoming Jewish holidays, when settler groups are expected to step up incursions into Al-Aqsa.

According to Sheikh Sabri, such actions could include organized collective prayers, the raising of Israeli flags, the bringing of plant offerings and the blowing of shofars inside or around the mosque compound.

Palestinians and Islamic authorities have repeatedly warned that such practices threaten the historic status quo governing Al-Aqsa Mosque. Under the longstanding arrangement, Muslims have exclusive rights to worship at the site, while non-Muslims may visit under specific restrictions.

Sheikh Sabri called on Muslims to increase their presence at Al-Aqsa throughout September and October, urging worshipers to visit the mosque in large numbers to protect the site from what he described as ongoing desecration and attempts at Judaization.

He stressed that the defense of Al-Aqsa is not only a religious responsibility but also part of the broader struggle to preserve the Islamic and Arab character of occupied Jerusalem.

The warnings come amid heightened tensions in Jerusalem, where Palestinian worshipers have repeatedly faced restrictions while Israeli settler groups have continued organized visits to the Al-Aqsa compound under the protection of Israeli forces.

Palestinian officials and Islamic institutions have long accused Israel of seeking to gradually alter the status quo at Al-Aqsa and divide the site in terms of time and space between Muslims and Jews, a move they strongly reject.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in occupied East Jerusalem, remains at the heart of the Palestinian struggle over Jerusalem and is one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (ILKHA)